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Show DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE August 2010 D11 GOLF SOFTBALL Young talent Seniors hope to finish strong expected to bolster team Bryan Chouinard SPORTS EDITOR The men's golf team finished the 2009season on a note it wishes to soon forget—finishing last at the Mountain West Conference Championships that were held in early May. But with the new season quickly approaching, the team is ready to put last season in the past. "I was a little shocked at how poorly we played at the conference championship," said head coach Randall McCracken. "I thought by then we would be a lot more prepared, but apparently we weren't. But that was last year and we're currently preparing for the upcoming year and hopefully we can start the fall the way we did last year." "Obviously we expect a lot more out of our team," said senior Chase Hite. "Personally, I probably had the worst tournament of the year in the biggest tournament of the year. You always go into a tournament trying to help a team but sometimes you try so hard that it actually hurts you." Hite is one of four players for the Utes 2010 Ryan Bailey STAFF WRITER After finishing only above Air Force in the conference last season, Utah softball will kick open the door this spring with a chip on its shoulder. The team will be looking to prove that it is a legitimate competitor for the Mountain West Conference title. "The coaches are bringing in some good, young talent this year, so all we have to do is apply our abilities and we will do just fine in conference," said sophomore designated player and pitcher Joni Cook. The incoming recruits will follow Cook's lead in bolstering the Utes' momentum going into their final MWC season. Earlier this spring, Cook was named to the 2010 AllMountain West Conference Softball Team after a standout 2010 season. Cook led all Utah hitters with a .435 batting average, 20 hits, and a team-high 13 runs in 46 at-bats. The Idaho native emerged as the Utes' clutch hitter late in the season—better late than never— said head coach Amy Hogue. "Joni's hitting late in the season carried us," Hogue said. "It began first with her self-confidence and the belief that she is capable of putting up those kind of numbers throughout the season." Although Hogue has the luxury of Cook's return, the coach, who is in her third year, will be without pitcher Ashley Smuda. Smuda finished her senior season not only with 20 wins, but also as the only Utah pitcher with a winning record. Other Ute players such as Sandi Bowles, Hannah Clements, Jasey Jensen and Brittany Parker, will join Cook in leading the team in most statistical categories, but the individual efforts will need to be corralled in order to upset dominant teams such as TCU and San Diego State. The Utes will have to go through those preseason favorites in order to bring home a conference title. "I know that when we come together as one, we can do amazing things," said infielder Tia Palauni. "I plan to finish at the top of the standings, and if not at the top, then close to and possibly one of the bubble-buster schools that could receive a bid." The Utes finished the 2010 season placing sixth overall in the MWC with a 4-10 conference record and 26-29 overall. If the Utes plan to improve and compete for that elusive conference title, they will need to play aggressively. "We need to keep a sharp focus," Cook said. "We know what we need to do. We just need to do it." That commitment to that goal will prove to be the xfactor for the Utes. Look for the upcoming Utah softball team to be in the thick of contention for not only a chance to hoist the MWC trophy, also for a bid to the Women's College World Series. All home softball games will be played at Ute Field. Admission is free for students. The schedule will be released this fall and can be found at www. who will be going into their senior year this upcoming fall, along with Derek Adams, Mike Branca and Jeff Kitches. The four will be looked to as leaders this season since McCracken had no seniors on his roster a year ago. With the full team returning, expectations will be high for this group which was once considered experienced, but now must prove what they are made of as seniors. "Two years ago, we were a very young team," Hite said. "We didn't have an excuse not to play well, but inexperience definitely had something to do with it. But this year, we don't have that excuse anymore. We are all very gifted players, we're all experienced in college golf tournaments, and I really think we're going to step up." Utah showed promise early last season, finishing second in the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational followed up by a win at the Purple and Red Invitational that Utah co-hosts alongside Weber State. But once the spring season got under way, the Utes struggled to find the form they had in the fall, being forced to play without freshman standout Cam- den Nicholson for academic reasons. Nicholson has since decided to go on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is expected to re-join the team when he gets back. "(Nicholson) had some eligibility issues, and we're trying to work those out now," McCracken said. "He did decide to go on a mission, so he'll be gone for the next two years. When he gets back, we'll assess the situation and see if we can get him back out there." This will be the final season for the Utes in the MWC before they make the jump to the Pac-io, one of the strongest golf coferences in the nation. Despite the tough finish last year, the team is looking to the future. "The Mountain West is a fabulous golf conference," McCracken said. "But the Pac-io is as good or maybe even better. It's a very strong golf conference, and we're very excited to be joining." "I'm really excited about the team's last year in the Mountain West," Hite said. "The Mountain West has been great to us, and we want to finish off strong." BASEBALL continued from Page D8 utahutes.com. r.bailey@chronicle.utah.edu TRACK& FIELD Sophomores aim to lead runners Bubba Brown STAFF WRITER Last year, the Utah track and field team leaned heavily on the performance of freshmen. The Utes will need a strong year from those same athletes—now sophomores— to find success. Fortunately for the U, a year of experience can make a lot of difference. "(Last) year, we were all able to bond," said senior Alyssa Abbott. "Now that we know a little bit more about each other and we kind of know our own team roles, that should make it a lot easier for us to be more united. That should be a big strength for us." Abbott will be looked to as the leader, charged with providing an example for the young squad. "She's very well-rounded, very talented kid," said head coach Kyle Kepler. "She's been a real big force for us throughout her career. We hope to have her one more time for kind of a last hurrah with the seniors. From a leadership standpoint, she's our leader." Being a key player isn't anything new for Abbott. She was a member of Utah's All-Mountain West Conference 4x400 relay team, in addition to winning the conference 1,500-meter event. Abbott comes into her final year as a Ute with high expec- tations for the team. "We had a lot of freshmen last year, so a lot of people were learning how to run in college, so this year should be a lot better," Abbott said. "We have a lot of girls that had great freshman years." Another top returning runner for the Utes is Lucy Yates. The junior from Hertsfordshire, U.K., is coming off a summer where she was the only Ute to make it to nationals and the winner of the 800-meter race at the Aviva England Under 23 Championships and World Trials. "She's really come along and developed very well," Kepler said. During the final season in the MWC, the Utes will use this year as a jumping point into the Pac-ro, where the competition will be stiffer. "We need to keep growing and keep improving because obviously when we do move into the Pac-ro, that's obviously a giant step," Kepler said. With a steady crop of talent and leadership, the Utes will be able to make their MWC swan song a sweet one. "We've got a lot of pretty good pieces to the puzzle," Kepler said. "It's just a matter of everybody being healthy and competing at the highest level at the same time. Our expectations are actually pretty high." b.brown@ chronicle.utah.edu idailyutahchronicle.co b.chouinard@chronicle.utah.edu TYLER COBB/The Daily Utah Chronicle the Philadelphia Phillies after going undrafted, as well as fellow departed senior Bryn Card. Adams and Duke were head coach Bill Kinneberg's goto guys out of the bullpen last year, combining for 66 innings of work, and they will see their roles increased during this season. The Utes will also have to rely heavily on a solid group of incoming freshmen highlighted by athletic outfielder Josh Alexander, right-handers Dustin Hobbs and Ben Mordini as well as third baseman Trey Nielsen, whose father played for BYU. The freshman class has the makings of one that could step in and perform well right away. However, there is a road block in the way of these players actually stepping foot on the field in Utah uniforms—they were selected in June's Major League Baseball draft. Alexander and Hobbs were the highest selections, going in the 19th and 21st rounds, respectively. "It's going to be interesting with the new guys coming in," Kinneberg said. "It always is. We've got some talented freshmen coming and they're going to have to contribute. When you're (asking freshmen) to do that, you're going to have some ups and downs, but I'm really excited about this group coming in." The Utes will also be bolstered by the return of Cody Guymon, a member of the 2008 All-Conference team, who is returning from a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "I can't wait to see him, and I can't wait to get him back on the field and get the energy back from a guy like that," Kinneberg said. b.brown@chronicle.utah.edu Sophomore catcher C.J. Cron prepares to hit the ball during a UNLV game. (C\ Interested in Nutrition? Check out the Nutrition Minor Students can increase their knowledge of nutrition in a supportive, well-informed environment with this exciting program! 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